Fashion retailers partner to offer personalized AI styling tool ‘Ella’

Vivrelle, a luxury membership platform specializing in the rental of high-end fashion items, has announced the launch of an innovative AI personal styling tool named Ella. This initiative comes through a collaboration with fashion retailers Revolve and FWRD, marking a significant advancement in how the fashion industry is utilizing artificial intelligence to personalize customer experiences. Ella stands out as a pioneering example of three retailers joining forces to enhance shopping with tailored AI recommendations. The platform allows users to explore designer clothing options, including pre-owned items available through Revolve. Customers can engage with Ella by requesting specific outfit ideas, such as suggestions for a bachelorette weekend or packing tips for a trip. The tool intelligently scours the inventories of Vivrelle, FWRD, and Revolve to curate personalized outfit suggestions, enabling users to seamlessly check out from a single cart on Vivrelle. The more users interact with Ella, the more accurate and tailored its recommendations become, akin to consulting a fashion-savvy chatbot for advice on what to wear for various occasions. Blake Geffen, CEO and co-founder of Vivrelle, expressed her hope that Ella will alleviate the stress of vacation packing and daily outfit selection. Geffen revealed to TechCrunch that the development of Ella has been in progress for about a year, emphasizing its thoughtful design. This launch follows the earlier introduction of another AI tool by the partnership, called Complete the Look, which offers last-minute fashion suggestions to enhance items already in a customer’s cart. However, Ella elevates the personalization of fashion recommendations to a new level. The fashion industry has long endeavored to create customized shopping experiences, a concept humorously depicted in the 90s film “Clueless,” where the protagonist Cher selects outfits from a digital wardrobe. The current surge in AI technology has spurred rapid advancements and broadened access, enabling numerous fashion brands to develop their own personalized AI solutions and secure significant funding. Geffen stated, “With Ella, we’re providing our members with as much flexibility and options as possible to shop or borrow with ease, through seamless conversations that mimic interactions with a live stylist. We’re thrilled to be the first brand to integrate rental, resale, and retail into one cohesive omnichannel experience.”